Trip Report

Leader: Aaron Steed

After our September trip to Big Bald Banding Station got rained out, we were hoping for better weather and we were not disappointed! The morning turned out to be beautiful and when we arrived at Big Bald we found a cloudless, sunny sky. It was a little on the breezy side, and as such the banders only opened the nets down in the gap, which were far more sheltered from the wind than the nets on top of Little Bald.

When we got to the table we found the banders had recently captured a Swainson’s Thrush and a Dark-eyed Junco – getting to watch the whole banding process is always a treat! While checking nets and hanging around the table we inevitably encountered other species, including Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Palm Warbler, a hunting Northern Harrier cruising low over Big Bald’s northern flanks, and 3 Bald Eagles - first a fly by juvenile, followed a few minutes later by 2 gorgeous adults. Unfortunately, the breeze continued to pick up during the day which hampered songbird activity, although we did end up with a few surprises, including a flyover Red Crossbill and a Swamp Sparrow, found and photographed by one of our group – John Koon. After lunch we went up Little Bald where we spent the rest of the afternoon observing and releasing recently banded Sharp-shinned Hawks. Each age class and sex were represented, and we got great comparative looks between juvenile and adult plumages and the size difference between males and females. Our plans to come back after dinner for Saw-whet Owl banding were dashed by the breeze, so we ended with a delicious dinner in Mars Hill. Though we had a relatively low overall diversity, a trip to Big Bald Banding Station never disappoints!